a long way from home Rick Grimes
by OfficialKylaS
Summary: Coraline Brums is a genus Astrologist who get's caught in the middle of Rick Grime's life when she offers to help find his family along with her own. She is just an innocent civilian trying not to let the apocalypse change her but her need for survival might do just that. rickxoc
1. prologue

When the dome to the observatory opens, it s like coming home or running into the arms of someone you love. My brother Mason likes to say that I was born into the wrong species. That my soulmate resides somewhere in space. That I spend more time looking at space than I do at earth. But he s wrong. If I were to be born an alien it would be different, I wouldn t see space the way I see it now. It s the fact that everyday I go to work I get to travel to different planets, stars. Ever since I ve been little I ve always dreamt of getting a closer look into the unknown. That s why I became an astronomer, to escape from earth. It took a total of 10 years of college and two years to get my associates degree in diesel mechanics.  
You see, I ve always been a pretty ordinary person. I grew up with both of my parents in a small city and went to a public school. I ve never gotten along with my parents very well. They re both dead now.  
I ve always been outgoing, a class clown, optimistic in a way that's almost ignorant. Almost. I was everybody's friend. I grew up with my older brother, who I ve never gotten along with. He is not outgoing and wouldn't go out in public with me in fear of judgement from others. It s been that way since we were young. My parent always tried to convince me otherwise but it was obvious. He would never have friends over to the house. Matter of fact, he was never home himself; never pas able to be around me. So despite thinking I grew up normal, I know that there is something different about me, I m not sure what that is. But family is family and we d both do anything for each other. At least I would him.  
I ve always been outgoing, a class clown, optimistic in a way that's almost ignorant. Almost. I was everybody's friend. I grew up with my older brother, who I ve never gotten along with. He is not outgoing and wouldn't go out in public with me in fear of judgement from others. It s been that way since we were young. My parent always tried to convince me otherwise but it was obvious. He would never have friends over to the house. Matter of fact, he was never home himself; never pas able to be around me. So despite thinking I grew up normal, I know that there is something different about me, I m not sure what that is. But family is family and we d both do anything for each other. At least I would him.  
After I finish some papers on the satellite I m assigned to babysit I close the dome. Once it s completely closed I heave a sad sigh. Before I can go down the stairs I hear the emergency sirens blare. Confused I open the dome again, warm air hitting my face, blowing my wavy, dark red hair out of my face. After my parents death a month ago I dyed it red and got it cut into an even bob with my bangs. I grab the weakest telescope off of it s stand stand to get a good look at the city that is about a mile away from me. I push my glasses up into my my hair and look into the scope. Even from here I can hear the sirens of firetrucks, police cars, and ambulances. When I look into the scope I can see cars lined up on the highway, heading towards the town over.  
People are standing outside of their cars. What the hell is going on? I jerk the scope away from my eye when I hear a sonic boom coming from the city. The large explosion came from the jet from above the city. The large mushroom of fire raises from the middle of the city. The park I used to run away to when thing would become too much with my parents.  
I realize that my brother is at home right now, still in the city. We don t live near the explosion but I have no idea what s going on down there. I close the dome, grab my bag and leave. I shove the telescope in my belt loop, just in case. I run down the stairs speedily, the tail of my lab coat whipping behind me. When I reach outside I turn around and fumble to lock the Observatory. I get into my red jeep (that my father kindly left in his will) and stick my keys into the ignition. Throwing the key to the Observatory in the glove box I race out of there. I don t even bother with the highway, knowing that it's packed full of vehicles ready to leave Cynthiana. I tap my hands anxiously on the wheel as I drive into the city, or should I say chaos? To my left there is a group of people with blood covering them trying to corner a couple that looks terrified. I usually would have stopped and done something, but in this case I couldn t. When I reach about a block away from my house I see a flash of blue before the world turns black.  
I wake up with a gasp. Looking around while feeling uneasy, I see a blue Cadillac that I smashed into. Oh shit, I hit the driver's side. I see a body slumped against the steering wheel but I can t tell if they re still breathing or not. I open the door and step out. Hit by a sudden nausea and dizziness I fall over and heave out stomach acid. Stomach acid? That doesn t make sense, I ve eaten today. Then it dawns on me; I ve no idea how long I ve been out. Minutes, Hours, Days? I check my watch but I see it s broken during the crash. It s early morning, and the streets deserted. Something makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It s the noise. It s gone completely silent. There are no birds chirping or the usual buzz of the cars on the highway that s nearby. I can still see the smoke rising from where the explosion had happened. Cautious, I stand to as I walk towards my house. I killed a man. My house; unharmed and empty. I checked all the rooms in the house and there is no sign of my brother. I sigh in relief when I find all his clothes missing and a bunch of food from the pantry gone too. He ran. My brother is resourceful, he made it through all the chaos, I know it. For what reason he ream, I'm not sure of. What I am sure of is that I need to go to the hospital..g off most of the flowage. I can feel all the colour leave my face. I can feel myself going into shock. After twenty minutes of standing here, trying not to go into shock, I take a scarf that I found under my seat and tie it above the wound as tight as I can. I curse under my breath. I attempt to walk again, finding great difficulty in keeping my balance. I remember my dad had a limp so he kept a cane behind his seat. I find it with little to no problem. This should do, it ll have to. Before I leave I grab the key to the observatory and throw it in my bag and begin the one block hike to my house. When I pass the Cadillac the driver to the car, who I had forgotten about, starts to growl and snap it's teeth at me. I begin to walk closer. Hey, is everything alright? I yell out, only a yard away. I notice the pale, veiny skin before I notice his pale eyes. Jesus. I mutter. I must be losing it. I take my cane and poke his (it s?) face. He snaps his teeth towards me as if he were trying to eat me. What the hell? I speak quietly. The seatbelt is holding it hostage so I leave him where he is. I begin to cry softly as I walk towards my house. I killed a man. My house; unharmed and empty. I checked all the rooms in the house and there is no sign of my brother. I sigh in relief when I find all his clothes missing and a bunch of food from the pantry gone too. He ran. My brother is resourceful, he made it through all the chaos, I know it. For what reason he ran, I'm not sure of. What I am sure of is that I need to go to the hospital.  
I notice my brother took his car (which is a good sign he's alive.) I walk to the garage with great difficulty. I know that there's my fathers Harley in here somewhere. I find it at the front in all it's red glory. After a couple weak tries of starting trying to start it up it comes to life. I almost fall over attempting to walk it our but eventually I get the strength to kick off and head to the hospital.


	2. days gone by (part one)

When I arrive at the hospital I immediatly notice it looks like the rest of the town, disasterous. There's even an army tank. But what's really haunting is the apparent bodies wrapped in white sheets, piled in numbers.

My hands shake as I realize no one is in the hospital. I'm going to die if I don't get medical attention. I use my hands to make my way up the staircase blindly due to the lights being off. When I open the door at the top I notice the smell is a bit better and sigh in relief. I turn down a second hallway and see a bed propped against a door. My curiosity gets the best of me so I pry the bed away from the door with great difficulty. I cautiously open the door and peek my head inside. I'm surprised to find a middle-aged man laying alseep on a hospital bed. It's like finding Taco Bell on Jupiter. I step inside and shut the door behind me queitly. Slowly I step towards the man till I'm standing right by his bed. I let out out a shaky breath. I grab his wrist and check his pulse. My eyes widen in shock when I feel a steady pulse. That bed in front of his door must have saved his life. To his left I see there's a chart that has his information on it. His name is Rick Grimes and he has a gunshot wound from a high speed chase incident five months ago. I grin to myself, that's badass. I check his drip bag and notice it's half gone. I dont' know how to change an IV, only the fluids, so I pray that he wakes up soon.  
I peak my head out of the room and see that there's still no sign of anyone. What the hell is happening? I shake my head as to shake the wondering thoughts out of my brain. I step out into the hallway slowly and find the medical stash by the nurses station. I shed my shirt and quickly look to see the damage. The skin around the wound has stopped bleeding due to the metal. I grab a towel and a rag and shove the latter in my mouth and bite as hard as I can. I take the towel and grab the hunk of metal with the towel to get a better grip. Here's to hoping the metal didn't hit anything important. As fast as I can I pull and rip out out the hunk with a choking noise and blinding white light behind my eyes. After that everything goes black.

I wake up with a sharp gasp. I quicky feel my side and notice there's a throbbing where the wound is. Holy shit. I didn't bleed out? I chuckle manically, I can't believe my luck. I sit up with great difficulty and find a large bottle of saline and gauze. I bite the rag again and begin cleaning the wound.  
I scream into the rag while hot tears fall down my face. I think about the time when I broke my arm in the creek and I couldn't move for an hour before my brother found me and carried me on his back to the house. I wonder where my brother is for a moment and I can't help but want him to come save me again.  
Next, I pack the wound with gauze, tape it together, and wrap it. I unrap the scarf that I had used as a tuneqeite and change into some scrubs I've found. Now that I'm all set I now have to take care of this stranger in the next room.  
I grab an bag of fluids to keep him hydrated and hook it up to his I.V. After that I take a look at his wound and note that it doesn't look infected (thanks god) so I re-wrap the wound. I make a pallet on the floor next to his bed. I make sure it's on the side away from the door so if anyone were to walk in they wouldn't notice me. I don't know how I'm going to survive in this room with this unknown man but I guess I'll have to figure it out.

*3 weeks later*

I'm sitting on my side of the room reading a cheesy romance novel I found at the nurses station. I've already read it three times and I hate to admit that it's pretty good. I've changed the strangers bangage weekly since I've been here and when his I.V runs out I refill it. I don't know what I'll do if it runs out. I'm getting to a boring part in my book when I hear it. At first I think I'm hearing things but then I remember I'm not alone in the room. "Fess up, did you steal it from your granndma Gene's house. I hope you left her that spoon collection." He pauses as if expecting a response from me. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? That's so random I gape at him. He begins to move, probably as confused as I am. "Shane? Shane, you in the John?" He asks this Shane character whos, obviously, not here.  
I decide it's time for me to speak up. "Sorry, no Shane here." I say to him. His head snaps towards me and he shoot up out of bed surprisingly fast for someone who's gotten shot. "Nurse, help! Nurse! Help!" He calls out. I realise I probobly look like some homeless woman camped out in his room. I get up as fast as I can to attempt to calm him. "Calm down, there are no nurses here. Just me. Well besides the others, but they aren't exactly very helpful." I ramble on a bit. I'm talking about the walking people who tried to eat me of course. I opened the doors to another wing and next thing I know one is coming at me, attempting to eat my face. I still haven't figured out what they are but I have a feeling they have something to do with what's going on here.  
He stares at me confused for a moment. "What do you mean there aren't any nurses here? Who the hell are you?" He asks me accusingly. "My name is Coraline Brums. Trust me, I'm as confused as you are. I came here looking for medical attention and only found you here. The whole place is empty except for, well, you'll see." I inform him. "How long have I been here?" He asks me nervously. "I don't know but I've been looking after you for three weeks." When I say this he looks panicked. "Three weeks? I have to find my wife and son! They didn't come here?" He asks while getting in my personal space. I shrink back nervously. "Sorry, I'm afraid not." I apologize. He begins to mumble to himself softly while freaking out. I stand back awkwardly as he begins to have a breakdown. I have a feeling I should say something to comfort him. "Um, don't worry, I'll help you find them. I'm looking for my brother, so we can look together." I reassure him. He looks up with wide eyes and slowly looks calmer. He nods his head stiffly with a wild look in his eye. We stare at eachother aprehencivly for a moment before I break the silence. "U-uhm there's a working faucet in the bathroom if you're thirsty." I trail off. He makes his way to the bathroom and gulps down as much water as he can. When he's finished I tell him, "I've been changing your I.V fluids but I don't have anymore food left, thank goodness you woke up when you did. I almost had to leave you for dead." Which is true, I ran out of food yesterday and with my blood loss I've been feeling dizzy. He looks calmer than before, less wide eyed and crazed. "Thank you." I can tell he means it. I nod my head in confirmation.

We've made it to the part of the hospital that still leaves my mind reeling every night before I go to sleep. DON'T OPEN DEAD INSIDE. The two double doors read. He looks back at me, noticing I stopped walking. "What does that mean?" He asks me hesitently. I shake my head furiosly, probobly looking crazier than he had. When the decrepite hands start to come out at us he runs to the halls. "Hey!" I call out after him. I catch up to him when we make it to the dark stairwells. I catch his arm in my hand. "We have to stick together okay?" I'm breathing heavily from the short run and I'm guessing that has to do with my wound. Rick looks down at my torso where my wound is and notices I'm bleeding for the first time.  
"What happened to you?" He looks concerned.  
"Car accident, chunk of metal right through the torse." I state between breathes. He looks at my disheveled state for a moment and nods his head.  
"Let's stick together." He copies my earlier statement. 


	3. days gone by (part two)

We come across a bike a couple of feet away from one of those things. I'm farther back than Rick is due to my limping and dizziness. Rick notices and picks up the bike and looks back at me expectantly. "Here, hop on." He offers.

I chuckle humorously. "I can hardly walk, what makes you think I can ride a bike?" I ask him blankly.

"I'll push you, just hop on, we'll get there quicker." He tells me. We agreed we'd go check his house for his wife and son, Lori and Carl, as he'd told me. With great reluctance I walk over to him, once I reach the bike we're startled by movement of the thing.

It begins to growl at us, snapping its teeth. Shocked, Rick takes a step back falling over on top of me. I hit the ground hard, hitting my head on the curb. I feel my wound start to bleed again and my head won't stop spinning. I'd probably be sick if it weren't for my empty stomach. Fear is all I can feel as my world turns black.

When I come to I immediately notice I'm not at the hospital anymore, my arms and legs tied to a bed. I look to my right and notice Rick along with another man and a child. I feel my breathing start to increase and my eyes widen.

What the hell is going on? Why am I tied up? Tears start to flow freely down my face as I struggle to get out of my restraints. I see Rick put his hand up as to calm me down but it does the opposite. "Mason!" I scream out for my brother, knowing he can't hear me I shut my mouth immediately.

The other man takes a knife and puts it against my neck. When Rick tries to stop him the boy puts a gun to his head. He puts his hands up in surrender, meeting my eyes guiltily. I look back over at the man, more so his knife. "Take a moment, eh? Look how sharp it is? If you don't stop screaming I'll be forced to use it. Understand?" He asks sardonically. I look over at Rick pleadingly.

He nods his head. I slowly look at the man and nod my head the same, trusting Rick. "You try anything and I will kill you, don't think I won't." And with that he cuts my ropes. "Come on up when you're able." And with that him and his son leaves the room.

Rick looks at me. "How did I get here?" I ask him suspiciously. He sits down next to me.

"I put you on that bike and pushed you till I got to my place." He pauses looking away in thought.

"Are they dead?" I ask him hesitantly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, referring to his family. I sure hope he didn't find his dead family on his own.

"No, no. They were just gone." He looks down to hide his tears. I shake his shoulder a bit.

"We're going to find them Rick, along with my brother. Everything is going to be okay." I reasure.

When he looks up he's not crying anymore but he still looks perturbed. "When I left my house, they hit me upside the head and knocked me out. I woke up here, same as you." He explains, his voice in a low draw.

"How's your wound?" I ask, pointing. He looks surprised for a moment before recovering.

"Better. Thanks again, it'd be ten times worse if not for you. How about you? How are you feeling?" He asks me, concern on his features.

"Oh me? Good as new." I lie with a smile. It hurts like a bitch with every breath I take but I don't need anyone concerned with me. It'll heal soon enough. He looks at me skeptical but nods his head anyway. "Let's go meet these people formally, shall we?" And with that we leave the room.

I sit at the table while the man, I learned his name is Morgan, serves us food. I'd usually be more reluctant to eat something a stranger gives me but I'm in no predicament to deny myself food. Rick stands by the window getting ready to look outside. "Don't do that." Morgan orders. I noticed he does that a lot. I also notice Rick looks awfully familiar to me but I shake it off. We live in the same town after all. "They'll see the light." He clarifies.

"There's more of them out there than usual. I never should have fired that gun today." Gun? Rick never mentioned anyone getting shot! My heart rate picks up and I feel myself tense up. "The sound draws them, now they're all over the street. Stupid, using a gun. It all happened so fast, I didn't think." I feel to confused and hungry to even question what he's talking about. I can only think with my stomach right now.

"You shot that man today." Rick accuses.

"He what?" I shoot off at Rick.

Morgan cuts in before he can explain, "Man?" The word seems to make him hostile.

"That weren't no man." Dwayne, Morgan's son, cuts in. Morgan reprimands him for his grammar.

"You shot him. In the street, out front, a man." Rick explains accusingly.

"Friend, you need glasses, that was a walker. Come on. Sit down, before you fall down. Here. Eat." With reluctance Rick does as he's told. What did he call the thing he killed? A walker? Maybe those things we seen at the hospital aren't human at all.

I'm about to happily take my first bite when Dwayne interrupts, "Daddy, blessing." He reprimends his father for not saying grace. Dwayne and Morgan hold hands and Dwayne holds his hand out to me expectantly. I shakily hold my hand in his. I haven't prayed since before my parents passed. My parents were religious but I never was, one of the many reasons they didn't accept me.

When we're done they say amen, "Amen." I mutter quietly. Morgon looks at the two of us as we dig in.

"Hey, do you people even know what is going on?" He asks us, already knowing the answer.

"I woke up today, In a hospital. She was sitting in my room already." Rick looked at me looking puzzled for a moment. "What's your name?" He asks me.

"Coraline. My names Coraline Brumms. I was at work when everything happened. Saw the military drop a explosive of some sort on the city. I drove to my house to find my brother but he was gone when I got there. On the way I got into a car crash. A large piece of metal impaled me so I drove myself to the hospital. When I arrived there was no one there except for the people already dead." I then look towards Rick to talk to him.

"I saw a room with a bed in front of it so I went in there. I found you there. After I took care of my own wound I decided to camp out in your room until you woke up. I changed your bandaged and drip bag daily for three weeks. Eventually I ran out of food but luckily that's when you woke up." I finish my story with a sigh.

"But y'all know about the dead people, right?" He asks with urgency.

"Yeah, I saw a lot of that." Rick says.

"On the loading dock, hauling trucks." I finish for him.

"No, not the ones they put down. The ones they didn't." He states ominously. The ones they didn't? Is that what he was talking about when he said walkers? Those disgusting creatures are people? How can that be possible? "The walkers. Like the one I shot today. 'Cause he would have ripped into you. Try to eat you, take him some flesh at least. But I guess if this is the first you're hearing, I know how it must sound." That's the understatement of the year. Or a lifetime. I feel fear pulse through every vein in my body.

"They're out there now, in the street?" Rick asks Morgan with suspicion clear in his voice.

"And they eat people?" I mutter.

"Yeah. They're even more active after dark sometimes. Maybe it's the cool air or Hell, maybe it's just me firing up that gun today. But we'll be fine long as we stay quiet. Probably wander off by morning." I feel my head start to spin again and my face has probably lost all color. I look over at Rick and notice he doesn't look worried. His calm exterior is what keeps me from jumping out of my skin.

"Well, listen One thing I do know Don't you get bit! We saw your bandage and that's why we were afraid of. Bites kill you. The fever burns you out. But then after a while You come back." As a walker. As a human, flesh eating monster. I think about my brother and hope he's not one of them.

"Seen it happen." Dwayne says somberly.

After we had gotten done eating I find myself in one of the bedrooms looking for clothes to wear. The women who lived here before must have been one of those skinny suburban moms because all the clothes are sizes to small. I squeeze into a pair of skinny jeans that come up to far on my ankles, showing off my long striped socks. I find a grey baseball t-shirt that I can fit into that shows a bit too much cleavage for my liking but beggars can't be choosers.

I look into a full length mirror and immediately don't recognize myself. I already look skinnier and more sharp. My eyes are hollowed out and dark around the edges despite my translucent skin. I let out a sigh before making my way to the living room to find Dwayne, Morgan and Rick settled in. "My coat." I stare blankly. If I have to wear these tight clothes I at least want something I'm comfortable wearing.

Morgan nods his head towards the pallet of blankets laid out next to Ricks pile. I notice my lab coat lying atop them. I nod my head in thanks and sit down on the blankets. I pull it on and inhale the scent. It no longer smells like my house, much to my disappointment.

"Did you ask him?" Dwayne asks Morgan. Rick looks over at Morgan questioningly. Morgan chuckles to himself.

"Your gun shot, we got a little bit going. My boy says you're a bank robber." I was wondering that myself. How does one find themself in the position of getting shot?

"Yeah that's me. Deadly as Dillinger Kapow." Rick jokes. I giggle quietly to myself. When Rick catches me I stop though. "Sheriff's Deputy." He states. That makes a lot of sense actually.

Morgan looks at me expectantly. "And what about you? What's with the lab coat? You a scientist or something." He asks me.

I smile knowingly before turning my back to them to go to sleep.

"Or something."

We decided we're moving along to Atlanta where there's a refugee camp. Hopefully we'll find our families there. I shower and dress after the men are done. I make it as speedy as possible, still not knowing what kind of men they are. It feels great to wash all the blood that caked onto my scalp down the drain. I giggle to myself in joy.

When I get out I dress in my same tight clothes as before. My lab coat has blood on it but I can't bring myself to leave it behind. Rick is dressed in his police uniform. I've never like policemen, never had good experiences with them. But Rick seems like a good man, the trustworthy cop. He smiles softly at me when I get out. "Feel better?" He ask me, already knowing the answer.

"Much." I reply with a grin.

We head to the gun locker to load up. My heart hammers at all the deadly weapons. I already know how to shoot because of my father who was a big gun man. He would take my brother hunting every so often. He tried to take me once but I got upset when they killed the deer and tried to resuscitate it. After that I never used a gun again. "A lot of it's gone missing." Rick states.

Dwayne asks his father if he can learn to shoot. "Hell yes you're going to learn. We gotta do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon." Well at least he's teaching him gun safety.

Rick cuts in, "That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that, Dwayne." I keep that in mind as well. He hands Morgan a large gun. He then turns to me.

"You know how to use one of these?" He asks sceptically. I nod my head slowly. He gives me another look I can't place, probably doubt. He hands me a 10mm handgun after showing me the basic works of it. I was used to a shotgun but this'll be easy to carry.

I put it into the thigh holster I found and nod at Rick when he stares at me surprised. I pack a bunch of ammo into a bag and bring it outside.

"You sure you won't come along?" I question Morgan.

"A few more days. By the end, Dwayne will know how to shoot and I won't be so rusty." He reassures.

Rick reaches into the car and pulls out a walkie. "You got one battery. I'll turn mine on, a few minutes everyday at dawn. You get up there, that's how you find me." He instructs Morgan.

After we had ran out of gas we decide to go on foot to a barn to get more gas, hopefully. "Hopefully everyone is as nice as Morgan is." I say with fake optimism. "Although with you dressed like that I don't think anyone will fuck with us." I grin at him. He looks over at me amused and shakes his head with a small laugh.

Approaching the house Rick calls out, "Hello? Police officer out here. Can I borrow some gas? Hello? Hello? Anybody home?" No one answers. I go around to look through the windows as Rick knocks. Inside I see two dead bodies with their skulls wide open where they had shot themselves in the heads.

I can't tell if I gasp or sob but when I step back I fall. Rick then comes around and see me on the ground. He runs over to me, thinking I'm hurt. "What happened, are you alright?" He asks me frantically. I shake my head and point to the window. He gets up and looks. I don't see his reaction but I feel him tug on my arm to get me up.

Rick walk over to the truck to see if he can find the keys, with no luck. I look off to the side and notice a brown horse. "Rick." I get his attention. When he looks over he gives me a defeated look and I just grin. He grabs some rope to saddle the horse up. He looks back at me before opening the fence. "After you Texas Rick." He rolls his eyes. Within no time he has the horse in reigns.

He walks it over towards me. I clap sarcastically, "Good job, now we just have to get on it." I say to him.

"I'll help you." He reassures with a smile. I nod at him unsurely.

"I know how to ride a horse, but getting on will be a problem." I tell him, still not convinced.

He stops and looks back at me with a grin. "Didn't I tell you not to worry?" I shrug in response. "Trust me." I already do but I'm not gonna tell him that.

Once the horse is saddled up I look nervously at Rick, "Animals don't like me." I say. He just rolls his eyes in response. Rick then comes up behind me as I put my right foot into the place for my feet.

He put his hands on my waist and I'm shocked by how big his hands are on them. I hate that I enjoy the feeling of his slim fingers on me, he may have a wife but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the innocent moment.

He helps me jump up onto the horse with easy. He looks at me in satisfaction. "I told you so." He states with a smirk. Now it's my turn to roll my eyes. And with that he get on up behind me so he can see over my head.

"You might wanna hold on." I joke with him, "I haven't done this in years." And with that we take off quickly. I feel Rick hold my hips in a bruising grip. "You're not afraid are you Rick?" I yell back at him. When I look back I notice him grinning widely.

We finally reach the city so I come to a slow trot through the city of Atlanta. I feel confused for a moment because if there was a refugee camp here wouldn't there be signs? I feel my skin crawl and I feel paranoid. As we continue through the city I notice there are a couple of walkers along the sides of the road that begin to notice us. Rick must feel me tense up because he squeezes my waist to get my attention.

"It's just a few, nothing we can't outrun." I can't find my voice to answer him back so I just nod stiffly. Suddenly there's a noise that I never thought I'd hear again. A helicopter. I pick up the speed of the horse towards the direction of the helicopter.

"They might be going to the refugee camp!" I yell back to Rick gleefully. Rounding the corner I was not prepared for the large group of dead covering the whole street. There has to be over a hundred. "Rick!" I yell out in fear.

"Shit." I hear behind me but It's just background noise to the ringing in my ears. The horse kicks back up on its hind legs and I feel scared that Rick is going to fall off so I grab back on the reigns and begin to go back in the direction where we saw a tank. When we go past there are even more walkers in the direction causing the horse to freak again, this time knocking Rick totally off.

The walkers begin to surround the horse and before it can kick me off I climb from the horse to the top of the tank. I assume Rick will follow me but I see the horse buck Rick off the horse. My heart beats faster and my throat closes. The walkers begin to climb on top of the tank causing me to jerk back. I quickly open the hatch to the tank and get inside clumsily. I notice a walker in the corner of the tank so I stay as quiet as possible.

I have to think quick or Rick is going to die. I notice a hatch on the floor and crawl slowly towards it on my hands and knees. It take me a couple of shaky tries but I finally open the hatch just in time to watch Rick crawl up through. I feel relief immediately flood through my body. He backs up as far away from the hatch as possible in panic mode. I close the hatch behind him, successfully blocking all the walkers from following. I look up just in time to watch Rick take the gun from the body of the walker, he's about to say something to me but I notice the walker moving.

Rick must see the fear in my eyes because he looks over and before I can yell at him not to shoot he's doing just that. The consequences are immediate for me, and my vision blacks out along with my hearing. It takes a couple moments but I feel Rick's hands on my shoulders shaking me. When my vision comes back I see Rick shaking me frantically. He might have thought I'd passed out again; and for all I know I might have. It takes a couple moment but finally I can hear again. I feel my body start to function again and start to nod my head towards Rick to tell him I'm alright but I'm cut off by interference on the radio.

"Hey, dumbasses in the tank, cozy in there?"


End file.
